I can't afford my vet bill

[oldmind]

My 9 month old cat isn't well. 2 trips to the vets with anti inflammatory meds and she still isn't right. They've told me to bring her back tomorrow for bloods and possible scans and I could be looking at over £1k for treatment.

I'm a single mum of 3 kids with additional needs. I've just gone back to work but only work 12 hours per weeks as I just cannot do anymore.

I did have insurance for her but I cancelled it as the insurance company I chose were terrible and haven't replaced it yet - I only did this a few weeks ago! A random payment came out of my account and I cancelled the whole thing.

Is there anything I can do?

Please don't tell me to not have pets if I can't afford them.

Animals were meant to be outside, we in the western world made them pets. You are worthy of having a pet.
I know RSPCA and PDSA can see you on low income

Do try PDSA and see if they can help you

i had £10k insurance and had to find another £4K for treatment for my cat. It was the wrong decision. Finding the £4K was difficult however it wasn’t the right decision for my cat and she suffered

appreciate a younger cat could be different

No-one is entitled to own a pet for their own benefit if they can't afford to take care of them properly. Unfortunate, but true.

@Blueberry911 I didn't explain this very well.

I called the vets again at 4pm to say she still wasn't well since yesterday- she did pick up this morning but went back down hill in the afternoon.

My vet receptionist told me to come back in at 6pm as an emergency so I did however it was a different vet I saw today. She basically said there was nothing she could do at this time of day and said I would have been better to wait and bring her in the morning. No idea what is wrong with her (that's fair enough) but I ended up paying for another £90 consultation to bringing her back at 7.30 in the morning. She also told me I will definitely need my purse.

I just didn't like the vet.

Even poor people deserve the opportunity to have a pet. The reality is we all have a threshold of how much we're prepared to spend on our pets - even you!

The OP looks like a very deserving and caring owner.

I don't know if it will help, but I'm sure I've seen some vets accept Klarna etc. It might help if you can't get PDSA help or something.

But I really hope kitten pulls through. 🩷

What food is your cat on and how much is it drinking? When it’s hot like this, mine literally are floored/lethrgic .. but they drink loads of water a day. If yours isn’t drinking enough, maybe that’s part of the problem?

@OohCookedPerfectly yes but I've had plenty of advice since I posted.

I have another vet I can now take her too through the pdsa and blue cross and the bills will be much more manageable - hopefully.

I have another cat who I have insurance for however for this one as I said, I went with a different company who I thought would be decent but they weren't. Cancelled it and stupidly forgot to sort it.

Yes that's my mistake. Fair enough - I'm a shit cat owner

Oh, and £90 consultation?? Ours are nowhere near that!

They will go to court to claim the money back, if OP refuses to pay there are then two options, a high court writ or an attachment on her earnings.

@oldmind please ignore @OohCookedPerfectly she’s being pretty horrid. You’re not a shit cat owner .. if you were, you wouldn’t be trying to get help.

@frazzledbutcalm she's on a mixture of wet and dried food. I've cooked her some chicken too but she won't touch it. Water bowls are always full.

Not using the litter tray either. Both vets said her tummy feels fine. It sounds like respiratory issues but not 100%.

What, spouted absolute bullshit?

No idea where the gif came from 🤣🤣🤣

It's ok - it made me smile! Thank you for standing up for me!

Is it a chain with a green logo. and a rhyming name, by any chance?They are owned by private equity and their prices are shocking.
£1,000 for a scan and bloods is ridiculous.
Can you speak to another, independent vet?

For the moment, while she’s poorly, only feed her wet food, at least that way she’s getting water.

I’m very sorry for your son but this doesn’t negate the needs of the cat: best wishes

@Simonjt it's not rubbish though. They can't expect you to pluck the money from your arse if you don't have it. Almost every time I've used the vets I've not had the money upfront to pay

Good I’m glad you’re over and out. Your input has not been helpful in the slightest, you’ve just been awful. Maybe now the OP can get some help without getting kicked while she’s down.

Oh do fuck off